Soccer: Maxed-out ball control, the skill is too overpowered.

For most fans who don't follow La Liga,

La Liga seems to have only two world-class powerhouse teams: Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The most well-known football stars include Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Bale, Benzema, Xavi, Iniesta, Modric, and others.

Globally, fans are at most familiar with Atlético Madrid, knowing that Simeone has led this Rojiblancos to a gradual rise, showing the potential to threaten Real Madrid and Barcelona.

In addition, there are other well-known La Liga powerhouses and traditional strong teams such as Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, and Deportivo La Coruña.

The other La Liga teams are relatively unfamiliar to fans in other countries.

The Royal Society is an example of this.

Leverkusen fans have all heard of Real Sociedad, and the nickname "Real Sociedad".

As for the head coach, he has no idea who the players on the field are.

It wasn't until the Champions League arrived that Bayer Leverkusen fans turned into scouts, trying to learn about their opponents.

Meanwhile, in the tactical meeting room...

Bayer Leverkusen coach Sascha points his laser pointer at a photograph projected on the screen.

This is a rather thin young man with a slightly baby face.

"This person will be the key player in our offensive and defensive game..."

Before Sasha could finish speaking,

Julian Brandt, who resembled a golden retriever, immediately raised his hand and asked:

"Coach, who is he? Is he very strong?"

Sasha glared at him, annoyed.

"Go away, stop messing around. I was just about to say something. You should all have heard of him. He's become quite well-known in La Liga these past two years."

Last season, Real Sociedad reached the La Liga semi-finals thanks to just two people.

Illarramendi was the midfield maestro, but thankfully he has already gone to Real Madrid.

Another key figure in the organization is a Frenchman.

A key player in the French U19 European Championship-winning team, and selected for the tournament's best XI.

At 22 years old, he has already been selected for the French national team...

wait?

Lu Xiao stared at the names and photos on the projector for a long time.

France, attacking midfield playmaker, La Liga!

The keyword match was successful, and Lu Xiao immediately recalled the prophetic dream he had in the past.

This guy is Antoine Griezmann, a key member of the 2018 French World Cup winning team!

As far as I can remember, he had been playing for Atlético Madrid for many years, which explains why Lu Xiao didn't recognize him at first when he was wearing a Real Sociedad jersey.

If his opponent is Griezmann, he's definitely a dangerous player!

Lu Xiao was pondering his opponent when head coach Sasha suddenly brought it up.

"Lu, he and you have similar positions and playing styles. In the match a few days later, you two will both be key players."

"Oh, okay... Hmm? Coach, what do you mean?"

"That's right."

Sasha just smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

But what he meant was already very clear!

The other teammates all looked on with envy!

Lu Xiao was able to start in a Champions League match at the age of 16?

At 16, all I could do was play in the mud at the youth training camp?

hateful!

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable!

Julian Brandt, Kiessling, Emre Can, and even Son Heung-min were filled with envy and jealousy.

But thinking about it carefully, given Lu Xiao's recent performance, it would be really unreasonable not to give him a starting position.

Everyone witnessed how hard he tried in the last match against Bayern Munich.

In fact, without Lu Xiao on the field, Leverkusen would definitely have lost and would never have been able to reverse the situation against Bayern.

Therefore, Lu Xiao's teammates only envied him for the coaching staff's arrangements and did not feel that they were unreasonable.

The tactical meeting lasted for two hours.

The coaching staff carefully analyzed each player from Real Sociedad, and then sent them to the training ground to practice against each other according to the established tactics and strategies.

The defensive team consists of key players from the midfield and backcourt, while the core of the offensive team is Lu Xiao, who plays the role of Griezmann in attack.

During his time at Real Sociedad, Griezmann hadn't yet developed his passing skills; he was more of a striker.

Physically frail and lacking in physical strength, his speed cannot be described as particularly fast.

He excels at finding openings through off-the-ball movement and game reading, and then using his refined footwork to create opportunities for breakthroughs.

He should try to score himself if possible, and if his teammates are in a better position, he can also deliver threatening passes.

They are strong in both playmaking and scoring in the frontcourt.

Lu Xiao gleaned some insights from Griezmann's analysis of his videos, but these insights were vague and difficult to articulate.

In the scrimmage, rather than imitating Griezmann's offensive style and testing his teammates' defensive abilities,

It's actually Lu Xiao's own offensive habits.

Upon closer inspection, his playing style is still different from Griezmann's.

"How so?"

Head coach Sasha watched the scrimmage from the sidelines for a while, then frowned.

"This kind of training still won't work. Luis is Luis, and Griezmann is Griezmann. The opponent is better at agile movement."

Lu, on the other hand, prefers the feeling of having the ball at his feet.

"Yes, indeed."

Lu Xiao's current playing style is still that of a finisher, a striker.

In the last match against Bayern Munich, his performance as a makeshift attacking midfielder was only passable.

However, specific passing strategies and techniques need to be practiced.

His ball control and shooting are not as top-notch as his.

"If Lu can learn Griezmann's style of play, he might evolve to the next level and become a top-level player."

Hypia remarked.

His expectations for Lu Xiao were not just that he be a hitman or a striker.

The striker who scored the goal relied on support from his teammates.

When teammates are suppressed and can't get the ball, they lose their effectiveness.

Lu Xiao has enough potential to become the true soul of the team and a heavyweight figure who influences the entire game.

Even if teammates are being suppressed, there is still a chance for them to step up and take over the game on their own.

By making runs and passing, the team revitalized its offense.

In the last match against Bayern Munich, Lu Xiao showed a hint of this trend!

"Hahaha, you forgot one thing, he's only 16! He's still young!"

"That's true," Hypia said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Lu has been performing very well lately, and it's easy to overlook his age and think he can do more."

"Take it slow. Lu will have plenty of opportunities to gain experience. This Champions League title might be a good one."

With the Champions League group stage approaching, Bayer Leverkusen has very little time left to prepare.

The entire Bayer Leverkusen team held an extra training session together, sweating profusely on the pitch.

……

Madrid Airport, Spain.

Griezmann, wearing headphones, was waiting to board in the VIP lounge.

The team has just arrived in Madrid from the small Basque town of San Sebastián and is flying from Madrid Airport to Cologne.

After landing, take a bus from Cologne to the small town of Leverkusen.

This is Griezmann's first Champions League campaign, and he was so excited last night that he couldn't sleep. Now he's a little sleepy.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, goalkeeper Bravo came over and woke him up.

"Antoine, let's go! Boarding!"

"Oh, Merci, thank you."

"I heard that the other team has a 16-year-old Chinese kid who recently did something quite amazing, scoring a last-minute winner against Bayern Munich."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, I find it amazing too."

Teammates started talking about Lu Xiao, the rising star who has recently gained immense popularity.

I was very curious about this Chinese boy.

Griezmann remained silent, his eyes no longer sleepy, but burning with fighting spirit.

In the previous match, Bayern Munich lost 3-4 to Bayer Leverkusen.

Griezmann watched the whole thing.

Despite the incomprehensible German commentary, Griezmann watched with bated breath!

This is a perfect opportunity for Griezmann to have a direct confrontation with Lu Xiao. He really wants to experience firsthand just how amazing this little devil is!

"Bayer Leverkusen, here I come."